Lawrence University Musicians Share Top Honors in WPR Neale-Silva Competition

APPLETON, WIS. -- Five Lawrence University musicians shared the top prize in the annual Neale-Silva Young Artists competition held March 31 in Madison.

The Lawrence University Saxophone Quartet and freshman cellist Tara Santiago were named two of five winners in the Wisconsin Public Radio-sponsored competition. It was the third time in the past five years that Lawrence music students have won the Neale-Silva competition, which is open to musicians aged 17-25 who are either from Wisconsin or attend a Wisconsin college.

Santiago and members of the saxophone quartet -- seniors Allen Cordingly, baritone sax, and Stephen Rodriguez, alto sax, and juniors Tony Bell, soprano sax, and Casey Schmidt, tenor sax -- each received a first-place prize of $250. As competition winners, both Santiago and the saxophone quartet performed Sunday as part of WPR's "Live from the Elvehjem" program.

The Neale-Silva competition capped a whirlwind two-month period for the saxophone quartet. Last week, the quartet also competed in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) National Collegiate Chamber Music Competition held in Washington, D.C., earning third-place honors. The quartet qualified for the national competition by winning the MTNA's East Central Division regional competition at the end of January.

In February, the quartet earned first-place honors at the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) conference held at the University of Dayton.

The saxophone quartet is coached by Marco Albonetti, lecturer in music. Each of the quartet members are students of Professor of Music Steven Jordheim's saxophone studio. Santiago is a student of Associate Professor of Music Janet Anthony.